Area sensor and display apparatus provided with an area sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9711582-B2
Application number	US-201615145863-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2016
Priority date	Aug 10, 2000
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

An area sensor of the present invention has a function of displaying an image in a sensor portion by using light-emitting elements and a reading function using photoelectric conversion devices. Therefore, an image read in the sensor portion can be displayed thereon without separately providing an electronic display on the area sensor. Furthermore, a photoelectric conversion layer of a photodiode according to the present invention is made of an amorphous silicon film and an N-type semiconductor layer and a P-type semiconductor layer are made of a polycrystalline silicon film. The amorphous silicon film is formed to be thicker than the polycrystalline silicon film. As a result, the photodiode according to the present invention can receive more light.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a plastic substrate;
a first inorganic insulating film over the plastic substrate;
a gate insulating film over the first inorganic insulating film;
a second inorganic insulating film over the gate insulating film;
an organic insulating film over the second inorganic insulating film;
a first driver circuit and a second driver circuit over the plastic substrate; and
a pixel portion over the plastic substrate, the pixel portion comprising a first pixel and a second pixel, each of the first pixel and the second pixel comprising a first to a fourth transistors and a capacitor, each of the transistors comprising a polycrystalline silicon film over the first inorganic insulating film, and a gate electrode overlapping the polycrystalline silicon film with the gate insulating film therebetween, the first pixel comprising:
an EL element comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode; and
an EL layer between the first electrode and the second electrode,

wherein the second inorganic insulating film covers the gate electrodes of the transistors,
wherein the organic insulating film covers the second inorganic insulating film,
wherein the first electrode, the EL layer and the second electrode are over the organic insulating film, the first electrode being electrically connected to the one of the source and the drain of the first transistor through an opening in the organic insulating film,
wherein the pixel portion is between the first and the second driver circuits when seen in a plan view,
wherein a first line electrically connects a gate of the second transistor of the first pixel to the first driver circuit, and
wherein a second line electrically connects a gate of one of the first to the fourth transistors of the second pixel to the second driver circuit.

2. A semiconductor device comprising:
a plastic substrate;
a first inorganic insulating film over the plastic substrate;
a gate insulating film over the first inorganic insulating film;
a second inorganic insulating film over the gate insulating film;
an organic insulating film over the second inorganic insulating film;
a first driver circuit and a second driver circuit over the plastic substrate; and
a pixel portion over the plastic substrate, the pixel portion comprising a first pixel and a second pixel, each of the first pixel and the second pixel comprising a first to a fifth transistors and a capacitor, each of the transistors comprising a polycrystalline silicon film over the first inorganic insulating film, and a gate electrode overlapping the polycrystalline silicon film with the gate insulating film therebetween, the first pixel comprising:
an EL element comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode; and
an EL layer between the first electrode and the second electrode,

wherein the second inorganic insulating film covers the gate electrodes of the transistors,
wherein the organic insulating film covers the second inorganic insulating film,
wherein the first electrode, the EL layer and the second electrode are over the organic insulating film, the first electrode being electrically connected to the one of the source and the drain of the first transistor through an opening in the organic insulating film,
wherein the pixel portion is between the first and the second driver circuits when seen in a plan view,
wherein a first line electrically connects a gate of the second transistor of the first pixel to the first driver circuit, and
wherein a second line electrically connects a gate of one of the first to the fifth transistors of the second pixel to the second driver circuit.

3. A semiconductor device comprising:
a plastic substrate;
a first inorganic insulating film over the plastic substrate;
a gate insulating film over the first inorganic insulating film;
a second inorganic insulating film over the gate insulating film;
an organic insulating film over the second inorganic insulating film;
a first driver circuit and a second driver circuit over the plastic substrate; and
a pixel portion over the plastic substrate, the pixel portion comprising a pixel, the pixel comprising:
a first to a fourth transistors, each of the transistors comprising a polycrystalline silicon film over the first inorganic insulating film, and a gate electrode overlapping the polycrystalline silicon film with the gate insulating film therebetween;
a capacitor;
an EL element comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode; and
an EL layer between the first electrode and the second electrode,

wherein the second inorganic insulating film covers the gate electrodes of the transistors,
wherein the organic insulating film covers the second inorganic insulating film,
wherein the first electrode, the EL layer and the second electrode are over the organic insulating film, the first electrode being electrically connected to one of the source and the drain of the first transistor through an opening in the organic insulating film,
wherein the pixel portion is between the first and the second driver circuits when seen in a plan view,
wherein a first line electrically connects a gate of the second transistor to the first driver circuit, and
wherein a second line electrically connects a gate of the third transistor to the second driver circuit.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3 , further comprising a fifth transistor in the pixel.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a sensor in the second pixel,
wherein the one transistor of the first to the fourth transistors of the second pixel belongs to a sensor circuit comprising the sensor, and the second driver circuit is a sensor gate signal line driving circuit.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 2 , further comprising a sensor in the second pixel,
wherein the one transistor of the first to the fifth transistors of the second pixel belongs to a sensor circuit comprising the sensor, and the second driver circuit is a sensor gate signal line driving circuit.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 3 , the pixel further comprising a sensor,
wherein the third transistor and the second driver circuit are configured to drive the sensor.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 3 , the pixel further comprising a sensor,
wherein the first transistor, the second transistor, and the first driver circuit are configured to drive the EL element, and
wherein the third transistor and the second driver circuit are configured to drive the sensor.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 5 , wherein the sensor is a photodiode.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 6 , wherein the sensor is a photodiode.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein the sensor is a photodiode.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an FPC fixed to the plastic substrate; and
a wiring formed on the flexible substrate, configured to connect an element comprised in the first pixel to the FPC.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an FPC fixed to the plastic substrate; and
a wiring formed on the flexible substrate, configured to connect an element comprised in the first pixel to the FPC.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 3 , further comprising:
an FPC fixed to the plastic substrate; and
a wiring formed on the flexible substrate, configured to connect an element comprised in the pixel to the FPC.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , fu

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Yamazaki Shunpei
• Koyama Jun
• Yonezawa Masato
• Kimura Hajime
• Yamazaki Yu

Classifications

• H04N25/76

  Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors · CPC title

• H04N25/447

  by preserving the colour pattern with or without loss of information · CPC title

• H01L27/3276

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/14687

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N3/155

  Electricity · mapped topic